Safety device for cable-railways.



R. H. WILLIAMS. SAFETY DEVICE FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION IILED DBO. 26, 1911 1,055,249. Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

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RAYMOND H. WILLIAMS, OF SHAMOKIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CABLE-RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 26, 1911.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

Serial No. 667,789.

I 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RAYMOND H. 711.- LIAMS,a citizen of the United States, residing at Shamokin, in the county ofNorthumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Safety Devices for Cable-Railways, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to safety devices for cable railways.

The principal object of the invention is to provide efficient means forcontrolling any retrograde movement of the vehicles in case the cableshould break.

Further objects of this invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, whichforms a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation with parts broken away showing the device applied to aninclined railway. Fig. 2 is a top plan piew. Fig. 3 is a section on theline 33 of Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 represents aninclined railway, and 2 a vehicle adapted to be drawn thereover by meansof the cable 3 which is connected to a winch or other suitable windingmechanism, not shown,

Mounted upon opposite sides of the railway are stepping plates 4 inwhich are removably seated the standards 5 having their upper endsthreaded, as shown at 6, so as to be adjustably entered into socketmembers 7 carried by the supports 8. A combined limiting collar and nut9 is securely connected to the standards so that a wrench may be appliedthereto for turning the standards into the socket members 7 for apurpose to be hereinafter described. Slidably mounted upon the standardsare suitable shaft boxings 10 which are normally raised against thecollars 9 by means of heavy spiral springs 11 which surround thestandards 5 and are interposed between the boxings and the steppingplates. These boxings have journaled therein a shaft 12 upon which awheel 18 is mounted in position to receive the cable 3.

Arranged between the tracks of the railway are suitable wells 14positioned at intervals throughout the length of the incline andpivotally mounted in the wells are safety devices which are in thenature of heavy plates 15, which when operated will raise one end abovethe tracks so as to lie in the path of the rear axle of the vehicle 2and thereby prevent its retrograde movement upon the incline. All of thesafety devices are operated in the following manner: The plates haveeach connected thereto a crank which is connected by a rod 16 common toall the safety devices, which in turn is connected to a bell crank 17pivoted at 18 and operated by the rise'of the shaft 12 to a link 19which connects the bell crank with one of the boxings 10.

Under normal conditions, the tension of the cable 3 in drawing thevehicle up the incline will depress the shaft 12, against the tension ofthe springs 11 and all of the safety plates 15 will be maintained in aplane parallel with the incline. If, however, the cable is broken fromany reason, the tension thereof is released from the wheel 13, whichwill rise under the influence of the springs 11 and will then operatethe safety plates, through the bell crank 17 the rod 16 and the cranksand raise the forward end of the plates, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, so that they will lie in the path of the rear axle of thevehicle. When the plate is tilted, its depressed end comes intoengagement with a substantial stop 20 carried in a well 14. When thesprings 11 break, a wrench may be applied to the nuts 9 and thestandards secured into the socket member 7 so as to disconnect the lowerends from the stepping plates, whereby new springs may be applied.

Secured to the abutments 20 are suitable contacts 21 which are connectedin multi 1e to one side of an alarm circuit 22 including the battery anda single bell 24. The opposite side of the circuit is connected throughjumper wires 25 to the axles of the safety plates 15 or to some othermetal part connected with said plates. The contacts 21 are so arrangedthat the plates will not'be brought into engagement with them until thewagon or other vehicle contacts with the plate, at which time thecircuit will be closed, as will be readily understood and the engineeror operator notified. Each safety plate may be in an independent circuitinstead of having all of the plates connected in multiple in a singlecircuit. In

this manner, the engineer or operator may readily determine at whatstation or place the vehicle has stopped.

lVhat is claimed is In an inclined railway, a vehicle adapted to operateover said railway, a cable connected to the vehicle, a plurality ofwells arranged throughout the incline, pivoted safety plates arrangedthroughout the incline and adapted to operate in the Wells, a springelevated wheel over which the cable asses a rod connectin all of thelates a V 7 b 7 bell crank connecting the rod and the wheel forelevating the plates in the path of the vehicle when the cable breaks,said bell crank, the rods, and the plates being positively returned tonormal or inoperative position upon repair of the cable, and signalmechanism controlled by the position of the plates,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RAYMOND H. WILLIAMS. lVit-nesses C. K. MoRoANRo'n-r, J. A. lVELsH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

